The Ridgewood News All-Suburban Football Defense

St. Joseph senior Mark Fossati, The Record’s North Jersey Football Defensive Player of the Year, is a first-team All-Suburban selection at linebacker.

RIDGEWOOD — For the first time since 2005, Don Bosco Prep is not calling itself a state football champion. The Ironmen’s six-year run at the top of the New Jersey polls came to an end, but it certainly wasn’t from a lack of defensive effort.

With four players named to the All-Suburban first-team defense, Bosco tops the 16-man squad in numbers. Ramapo was next with three selections, followed by St. Joseph, Pascack Valley and Hawthorne with two each on a unit that features 14 seniors and two juniors.

For the first time in many years, the entire first team is made up of first-time selections, though there were five players who moved up from the 2011 second team. The lone repeat pick on the second team is Noah Pounds of Ridgewood.

Dwayne Miele of Hawthorne is this year’s Most Versatile Player, marking the second straight season a Bears’ player has earned the honor.

The individual profiles:

CHRISTIAN ALBANESE, Ramapo — The frustrations of two injury-plagued seasons were washed away with the North 1, Group 3 state championship in his senior campaign, and the two-way lineman was an integral part of his team’s success.

Called by many the most productive lineman for the Green Raiders in the past 12 years, his biggest impact was on defense, where he amassed 71 tackles, including 49 solos. He added 7.5 quarterback sacks, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

RAZOHNN GROSS, Don Bosco — A second-team selection last year, this senior from Mahwah moves up after a dominating season on the defensive front. The state-champion wrestler was usually the strongest player on the field and wreaked havoc in the trenches.

Gross recorded 67 tackles and had nine sacks along with two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 11 tackles for losses. He plays much bigger than his 5-11, 220-pound frame and will sift through football and wrestling college opportunities.

TROY KAY, St. Joseph — At 6-foot and 225 pounds, this senior used guile as much as strength and speed to get the job done.

A good scrape rusher, Kay recorded nine sacks among his 70 tackles (12 solo), with his two best efforts being 11 tackles against Paramus Catholic and eight against Delbarton in the Non-Public Group 3 state-title game. He also had an interception that he returned for a touchdown, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a blocked punt.

ALQUADIN MUHAMMAD, Don Bosco — One of the most recruited linemen in New Jersey, this senior was a major headache for opposing offenses with his speed off the edge and strength in driving blockers back.

Muhammad moves up from last year’s second team after making 64 tackles and a team-best 12 sacks to go along with four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. The 6-4, 230-pounder will play in the U.S. Army All-American game this weekend and is being recruited by Miami, Rutgers, Notre Dame and Michigan State.

ETHAN RAMOS, Hawthorne — A leg injury cost him two games, yet this senior was still the defensive leader for the Bears, who went 7-4 on the season and made a third straight playoff appearance.

A second-team offensive guard in 2011, Ramos forced opposing coaches to game plan to try and stop him individually. The four-year starter topped the Bears in tackles with 83 (28 solo) and had 21 tackles for losses, four sacks and four forced fumbles. A solid wrestler, he is getting looks from a number of colleges.

MARK FOSSATI, St. Joseph — The complete package on defense, this junior made perhaps the play of the year, stripping the ball from Bergen Catholic quarterback Jon Germano and going 79 yards for a touchdown to spark a win over the Crusaders. It was the top highlight in a season of many, as he racked up a North Jersey-leading 154 tackles, including an amazing 16 on kickoffs where he was the kicker. One of those kickoff tackles resulted in a safety, a rare play at any level.

Fossati posted 2.5 sacks, forced three fumbles, recovered two fumbles and blocked a punt. He was also the placekicker, scoring 72 of his 128 points on 57 extra-point kicks and five field goals, and he punted 28 times for a 35.8 average, with eight kicks downed inside the 20-yard line. Throw in 283 yards and six touchdowns rushing and 16 catches for 198 yards and a touchdown, and it’s easy to see why this Upper Saddle River resident is already drawing interest from Harvard, Yale and Old Dominion.

MIKE MANENTE, Pascack Valley — One of the purest pass rushers North Jersey has seen in some time, this senior was all over the field, making plays sideline to sideline. His 120 tackles topped the Indians, and 55 of those were solo stops. More impressive was his 24 sacks, the most in New Jersey this season, and he had a sack in every one of the Indians’ 12 games.

A 2011 second-team defensive lineman, Manente also recorded five pass breakups, one forced fumble, a fumble recovery for a touchdown and a blocked punt he returned for a score. He took snaps at tight end as well, catching 11 passes for 195 yards and three touchdowns.

SPENCER SCANNELL, Don Bosco — Working behind the stalwarts on the defensive line, this senior was a sideline-to-sideline player, a perfect fit in the Ironmen’s speed to the ball defensive style.

Scannell topped the Bosco defense with 92 tackles and added three sacks and two interceptions, taking one back for a touchdown, and a forced fumble. The Mahwah resident also played some offense and caught a pair of touchdown passes.